# 2266 CLI 63d41832

> MCP Client CLI Guide

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- Author: tools-only (https://skillmd.com/u/tools-only)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tools-only/2266-cli-63d41832

---

# MCP Client CLI Guide

This guide documents how to interact with MCP servers and manage A2A agents using the command-line interface.

## Table of Contents
- [Overview](#overview)
- [A2A Agent Management](#a2a-agent-management)
- [MCP Client Authentication](#mcp-client-authentication)
- [Basic Commands](#basic-commands)
- [Server Management Commands](#server-management-commands)
- [Tool Discovery](#tool-discovery)
- [Direct Server Access](#direct-server-access)

## Overview

Two CLI tools are available:
1. **`agent_mgmt.py`** - A2A agent management (register, modify, delete, list)
2. **`mcp_client.py`** - MCP server interaction (list tools, call tools, etc.)

## A2A Agent Management

For complete A2A agent management documentation, see: [A2A Agent Management Guide](a2a-agent-management.md)

Quick start with the `mcp-gateway-m2m` service account:
```bash
# Register an agent
uv run python cli/agent_mgmt.py register cli/examples/code_reviewer_agent.json

# List all agents
uv run python cli/agent_mgmt.py list

# Test agent
uv run python cli/agent_mgmt.py test /code-reviewer
```

## MCP Client Authentication

The client supports two authentication methods:

### 1. M2M (Machine-to-Machine) Authentication with `mcp-gateway-m2m`
The primary M2M account `mcp-gateway-m2m` is auto-configured. Set environment variables:
```bash
export CLIENT_ID=mcp-gateway-m2m
export CLIENT_SECRET=<generated-during-init>
export KEYCLOAK_URL=http://localhost:8080
export KEYCLOAK_REALM=mcp-gateway
```

Or use the auto-generated token from `mcp-gateway-m2m`:
```bash
source <(python3 -c "import json; d=json.load(open('.oauth-tokens/ingress.json')); print('TOKEN=' + d['access_token'])")
```

### 2. Ingress Token Authentication
The client will automatically load ingress tokens from `.oauth-tokens/ingress.json` if M2M credentials are not available. This token comes from the `mcp-gateway-m2m` service account.

## Basic Commands

### Test Connectivity (Ping)
```bash
# Ping the default gateway
uv run cli/mcp_client.py ping

# Ping a specific endpoint
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/currenttime/mcp ping
```

### List Available Tools
```bash
# List tools from the default gateway
uv run cli/mcp_client.py list

# List tools from a specific server
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/currenttime/mcp list
```

## Server Management Commands

### List All Registered Services
```bash
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool list_services \
  --args '{}'
```

Returns a dictionary containing:
- `services`: List of service information with details like name, path, status
- `total_count`: Total number of registered services

### Register a New Service
```bash
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool register_service \
  --args '{
    "server_name": "Minimal Server",
    "path": "/minimal-server",
    "proxy_pass_url": "http://minimal-server:8000",
    "description": "A minimal MCP server example",
    "tags": ["example", "minimal"],
    "num_tools": 2,
    "num_stars": 0,
    "is_python": true,
    "license": "MIT"
  }'
```

**Register from a JSON file:**
```bash
# Register a service using configuration from a JSON file
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool register_service \
  --args "$(cat cli/examples/server-config.json)"
```

**Required parameters:**
- `server_name`: Display name for the server
- `path`: Unique URL path prefix (must start with '/')
- `proxy_pass_url`: Internal URL where the MCP server is running

**Optional parameters:**
- `description`: Description of the server (default: "")
- `tags`: List of tags for categorization (default: null)
- `num_tools`: Number of tools provided (default: 0)
- `num_stars`: Star rating for the server (default: 0)
- `is_python`: Whether implemented in Python (default: false)
- `license`: License information (default: "N/A")

### Remove a Service
```bash
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool remove_service \
  --args '{"service_path": "/my-service"}'
```

**Example:**
```bash
# Remove minimal-server
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool remove_service \
  --args '{"service_path": "/minimal-server"}'
```

### Toggle Service State (Enable/Disable)
```bash
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool toggle_service \
  --args '{"service_path": "/my-service"}'
```

### Health Check
Get health status for all registered servers:
```bash
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool healthcheck \
  --args '{}'
```

## Tool Discovery

### Find Tools Using Natural Language
Use the intelligent tool finder to discover tools based on natural language queries:

```bash
# Find tools for getting current time
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool intelligent_tool_finder \
  --args '{"natural_language_query": "get current time in New York", "top_n_tools": 3}'

# Find tools by tags only
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool intelligent_tool_finder \
  --args '{"tags": ["time", "timezone"], "top_n_tools": 5}'

# Combine natural language and tags
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool intelligent_tool_finder \
  --args '{
    "natural_language_query": "get current time",
    "tags": ["time"],
    "top_k_services": 3,
    "top_n_tools": 5
  }'
```

**Parameters:**
- `natural_language_query`: Natural language description (optional if tags provided)
- `tags`: List of tags to filter by (optional)
- `top_k_services`: Number of top services to consider (default: 3)
- `top_n_tools`: Number of best tools to return (default: 1)

## Direct Server Access

### Call Tools on Specific Servers

#### Current Time Service
```bash
# Get current time in a specific timezone
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/currenttime/mcp call \
  --tool current_time_by_timezone \
  --args '{"tz_name": "America/New_York"}'

# Use default timezone (America/New_York)
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/currenttime/mcp call \
  --tool current_time_by_timezone \
  --args '{}'
```

## Command Structure

### General Format
```bash
uv run cli/mcp_client.py [--url URL] COMMAND [--tool TOOL_NAME] [--args JSON_ARGS]
```

### Parameters
- `--url`: Gateway or server URL (default: `http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp`)
- `command`: One of `ping`, `list`, or `call`
- `--tool`: Tool name (required for `call` command)
- `--args`: Tool arguments as JSON string (for `call` command)

## Examples Summary

### Quick Server Management
```bash
# List all services
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call --tool list_services --args '{}'

# Register a new service
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool register_service \
  --args '{"server_name": "Minimal Server", "path": "/minimal-server", "proxy_pass_url": "http://minimal-server:8000"}'

# Remove a service
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool remove_service \
  --args '{"service_path": "/minimal-server"}'

# Toggle service state
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call \
  --tool toggle_service \
  --args '{"service_path": "/minimal-server"}'

# Health check all services
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp call --tool healthcheck --args '{}'
```

### Tool Discovery and Invocation
```bash
# Find relevant tools
uv run cli/mcp_client.py call --tool intelligent_tool_finder \
  --args '{"natural_language_query": "get current time"}'

# Call a specific tool directly
uv run cli/mcp_client.py --url http://localhost/currenttime/mcp call \
  --tool current_time_by_timezone \
  --args '{"tz_name": "Europe/London"}'
```

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

1. **HTTP 403: Access forbidden**
   - Check if your token has the required permissions
   - Verify the scopes.yml configuration includes the tool you're trying to access

2. **HTTP 405: Method Not Allowed**
   - Ensure the server path is correct
   - Verify the server is registered and running

3. **Token Expired**
   - Refresh your authentication token
   - For ingress tokens: Run the token refresh script
   - For M2M: Re-authenticate with credentials

4. **Connection Refused**
   - Check if the target server is running
   - Verify the proxy_pass_url in the service registration

## Notes

- All service paths must start with '/'
- Tool arguments must be valid JSON
- The gateway URL defaults to `http://localhost/mcpgw/mcp`
- Direct server access bypasses the gateway and connects directly to the service